Books about Unreality from Amazon.com

Alfred Bester (1913-1987) was the author of two of science fiction's seminal works, The Demolished Man and The Stars My Destination. He also wrote some fast-moving, sizzling short stories that were very highly regarded; many of them are included in the 17 stories showcased in Virtual Realities; two were never before published. Highlights include "Disappearing Act," in which shell-shocked soldiers vanish from their hospital ward; "Hobson's Choice," in which a statistician uncovers a disturbing population trend in post-nuclear Kansas; "Time Is the Traitor," wherein powerful business people manipulate their most valuable consultant; and "The Devil Without Glasses," a conspiracy tale with an X-Files feel. The science fiction and literary classic "Fondly Fahrenheit" stars wealthy Vandaleur and his mad android who has an unfortunate habit of turning murderous when the temperature gets too hot... All reet!

Bester's use of the word girl and the occasional female as manipulating schemer are not in line with current sensibilities and may give readers pause, especially those accustomed to feminist improvements in modern SF. Nevertheless, these stories are a frenetic and delightful confection of SF from the mid-20th century. --Bonnie Bouman.
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The claims made for television when it was a fledgling industry in the early 1950s have virtually all proven false. TV was to be the great entertainer-educator, an electronic marvel that could reach into the lives of millions and, over time, elevate their tastes and sensibilities. As we now know, of course, the entertainment component of this equation has so thoroughly dominated every aspect of TV and the mass media that most everything has been reduced to simple, slick, and powerful images. As Fred Friendly once remarked, "commercial television makes so much money doing its worst, it can't afford to do its best."
This is the state of things in America on the eve of the twenty-first century. And as Ian I. Mitroff and Warren Bennis show in this fascinating and profoundly disturbing book, the situation only promises to get worse. Already, newspapers and magazines such as USA Today and Business Week have adopted a sort of television look, helping to blur the line between reality and fantasy that the authors believe is a frightening hallmark of contemporary life. Surveys show that up to 50% of those who watch crime re-enactment programs such as "Rescue 911" believe they are witnessing "the real thing." And consider, for example, the prospect of "virtual reality," where people can place themselves "inside" TV; in the not so distant future, the authors suggest, consenting adults will be able to slip into undergarments lined with sensors and miniature actuators and, while whispering endearments, enjoy "sex" over the phone. What becomes clear as we read The Unreality Industry is that the deliberate creation of unreality is one of the most pivotal social forces shaping our time.
Mitroff and Bennis explore in detail the pervasive and dangerous effects of television on American culture, arguing that we have fallen victim to the invented unrealities passed on through the mass media. Focusing on TV as the major culprit of a problem that threatens to spiral out of control, they point to specific issues such as the selection of political candidates, celebrity worship, and the choice by political and business leaders to offer the public pleasing visual images rather than real solutions to a variety of economic and social problems. The authors present a number of suggestions for corrective action, among them an impassioned plea for the uncommercialization of the television news, programs which continue to resemble more and more the satirical "game show" version of the news in the movie Network.
The only book to address what is perhaps the most pressing social issue of our time, The Unreality Industry should be required reading for anyone concerned with the extent to which the "American Dream" has become just that..
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Why do our best efforts at change always seem to stall? What stops us from moving forward? As individuals and as organizations, we lay the blame on a lack of time, information, money, or motivation However, our own illusions are usually the true culprit As this insightful book will quickly convince you, getting real is the only way to really get ahead. We labor under fatal illusions when we base our behavior on what we wish to be true about our business, or about the marketplace, rather than on what is actually true. We treat our symptoms while core problems fester unchecked. The syndrome is all too common, but there is a remedy. Fatal Illusions shows how to dig out the truth and free yourself for positive action. This book analyzes 12 major illusions with significant power to harm you and your organization. The illusions involve too-comfortable beliefs about mission statements, teamwork, incentives, and other big issues that soak up time and resources--and they may startle you by hitting so close to home. For example:

"Of course our people understand what's important"

"Everybody knows what quality is"

"We don't need passion if we have a good plan"

"Just give people a chance and they'll work together" Throughout the book, self-tests help you pinpoint which fatal illusions are lurking in your organization. Then you'll learn proven, specific techniques for correcting the misperceptions, one by one. You'll discover how to uproot the fallacies that prevent successful implementation of benchmarking, employee empowerment, and other management initiatives. Deeper and more far-reaching than virtually any other management book, Fatal Illusions is your guide to becoming "unstuck" in business and in life. By helping you squarely face "the things you know that just ain't so," it will propel you from your current plateau to brand-new heights of success..
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Book Description:

The Seeming Unreality of the Spiritual Life is from the Nathaniel William Taylor Lectures for 1907, given Before the Divinity School of Yale University by Henry Churchill King.

Table of Contents:

Publisher's Preface; The Fundamental Nature Of The Inquiry; The Meaning Of The Theme; The Order Of The Discussion; The Causes Of The Seeming Unreality Misconceptions; Ignoring Bodily Conditions; Forgetting The Complexity And Unity Of Life; Knowledge Never Merely Passive; No Merely Theoretical Solutions; The Practical Nature Of All Belief; Some Common Logical Fallacies; Some Traditional Objections; Difficulty In The Conception Of God; The Difference Between The Scientific And Religious Problems; The Difference Between The Philosophical And Religious Problems; The Spiritual Life Not A Life Of Strain; The Spiritual Life Not A Life Of Imitation; The Spiritual Life Not A Life Of Magical Inheritance; The Spiritual Life Not A Life Of External Rules; The Way Into The Great Values; The Conditions Of A Deepening Personal Relation; Limitations And Fluctuations Common To All Our Life; The Special Bearing Of Limitations And Fluctuations On The Spiritual Life; The Witness Of Our Consciously Best Hours; The Seeming Unreality A Large Factor In Our Moral And Spiritual Training; The Special Religious Need Of The Un-obtrusiveness Of The Spiritual; Our Very Questionings A Proof Of Reality; The Way Into Reality The Presumptive Evidence; The Test Of Present Trends Of Thought—historical, Philosophical, Scientific, Ethical, And Social; The Test Of Present Trends Of Thought—psychological; Man's Essential Need Of Religion; Facing The Facts Often Ignored; The Necessary Limitations In The Argument; The Main Lines Of Argument; The Need Of The Modern Man Met Only In Christ; The Needed Emphases In Modern Religious Life; The Method Of The Spiritual Life; Doctrine As Expression Of Experience With Christ; Illustrated In The Doctrine Of Personal Immortality

About the Publisher:

Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, Esoteric and Mythology. www.forgottenbooks.org

Forgotten Books is about sharing information, not about making money. All books are priced at wholesale prices. We are also the only publisher we know of to print in large sans-serif font, which is proven to make the text easier to read and put less strain on your eyes..
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